


Smile, Ash!

by tailoredlillies



Category: Banana Fish (Anime & Manga)
Genre: Established Relationship, Fluff, Fluff and Angst, Fluff and Humor, M/M, it's mainly ash being loopy on anesthesia, the angst is mild
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-07-18
Updated: 2019-07-18
Packaged: 2020-07-08 02:12:38
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,875
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19861810
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/tailoredlillies/pseuds/tailoredlillies
Summary: Ash's days have been interrupted by recurring tooth pain. A trip to the dentist reveals that his wisdom teeth need to come out ASAP.And he is not looking forward to it.





	Smile, Ash!

Part of adjusting to normal life after years lived on the streets was doing things normal people considered standard and routine. That included getting a driver’s license, paying rent, registering a car, purchasing insurance, doctor’s visits, paying taxes, and dentist appointments.

Eiji was instrumental in getting Ash to do all of these things. Three years after Dino’s death and the end of the Banana Fish fiasco, the two were getting used to a simple life in a simple apartment in southern New York, on the less crowded outskirts of the city. Ash still jumped at loud noises, surveyed all his surroundings and carried a gun in the waistband of his jeans, but it had been forever since he’d had to use it. Weekly counseling sessions also seemed to be improving his attitude towards his past and his future.

His old demons died hard, and it was almost ritual for him to sputter awake from a nightmare gasping for breath. Eiji was always there to hold him and whisper sweet nothings until he calmed and they would fall asleep in each other's arms. 

Ash still hid his pain a lot though. He had been subjected to so much violence over the course of his life, he thought nothing of pushing through aches and pains every day. He rarely let it show, but Eiji usually noticed regardless and dragged him down to the doctor to cure whatever ailment had struck him that day. Most of his pains were internal- old stab and bullet wounds burning, muscles cramping randomly, bones broken and never treated aching. 

Mouth pain though? Completely unprecedented. 

So he couldn’t hold back a groan of pain when he chewed and his jaw suddenly burned with pain. 

“Ash?” Eiji closed the paper he’d been reading. “What’s wrong?”  
“Nothing,” Ash lied as he massaged the pressurized stinging at the back of his mouth. 

“Are your teeth hurting?” Eiji leaned forward, brows knitted in concern. 

“It’s really nothing. Maybe I just chewed weird or something, I’m fine,” Ash removed his hand from his cheek as the pain ebbed. 

He could tell Eiji didn’t believe a word of it, but the Japanese boy relented with a pout. Ash forgot about it ten minutes later when Eiji asked for help with his crossword, starting a new round of teasing about Eiji’s elderly nature. 

The next day, the pain was back while Ash was editing some manuscripts for Newsweek. Eiji was at a photo shoot, so he didn’t have to worry about causing his boyfriend any distress when he let out a full-bodied groan. It was like someone was trying to dig a hole in his gums with a blunt knife. He tried pressing on the site for any semblance of relief, but that only made it worse. Ice helped a little, but his cheek quickly grew tingly with cold and he couldn’t continue. He resigned to take a couple of painkillers, and the agony eased again.

Eiji got home a few hours later and began fixing dinner after their ritual welcome home kiss. Ash had been enjoying his chicken and hearing Eiji talk about the shoot when his mouth once again throbbed with burning pain, even worse than earlier. He tried not to show it, but he couldn’t help but wince at the sting. Eiji stopped talking immediately and asked again what was bothering him, but he brushed it off by insisting it was nothing. Eiji frowned deeply and chewed his lip, inspecting Ash like he was an enigma. 

They went to bed that night after a shower and more painkillers. Ash was thankful to sleep the whole night through with no interruptions. It was the weekend, so he and Eiji were released of work and allowed to sleep in as late as they pleased. 

Yet his mouth pain took even that from him. 

He grunted awake at eight-thirty; eight-thirty on a  _ Saturday _ mind you, with his teeth throbbing from the worst pain yet, and his head pained in the same rhythm. His whole head was clouded with pain and the room spun and rocked before him as he clambered for more painkillers. 

Unfortunately, after years of waking when Ash woke in case of a nightmare, Eiji was trained to notice when his boyfriend’s body left the bed. Bleary-eyed and sleepy, Eiji pushed himself up to hear Ash groaning as he rifled through the medicine cabinet. The Japanese boy set his jaw in determination and caught Ash in the act of downing two ibuprofens with a glass of water. 

“Is it your teeth again?” Eiji asked, rubbing the sleep out of his eyes. 

Ash swallowed, guilty. “Uh, yeah, but it’s-”

“It’s not nothing, Ash!” Eiji exclaimed, folding his arms. “When was the last time you went to the dentist?”

Ash furrowed his brows, thinking. “Uhh… I think I was… eight? Maybe seven? I’ve been kind of busy y’know.”  
Eiji pinched the bridge of his nose and sighed deeply. “Okay. That’s it. We’re going to the dentist. You take a shower and get dressed, I’ll fix you a smoothie.”  
“Eiji, sweetie, it’s really fine,” Ash laughed nervously. 

“Aslan, honey, it’s not,” Eiji rolled his eyes, smiled, and shut the door, leaving Ash to shower and change. 

To say Ash was nervous to see the dentist was an understatement. He hadn’t been in years, he had no idea what to expect or what they’d do to him. Any medical facilities really made him nervous, reminding him of the time he’d spent in hospitals after his countless assaults and troubles. But if Eiji would be there, he’d be alright. 

When Ash was called back to the chair, Eiji followed as closely as he could. He was led away for X-rays then sat in the big leather dentist chair. Eiji sat by him as the hygienist introduced herself and did her job. Ash’s body still ran stiff with worry, fingers gripping the arms of the chair and the bright light shining directly on his face. Whenever the hygenist stepped away from his mouth, Eiji would come up and rub the back of his hand and whisper words of comfort. The hygienist gave them strange looks but they both ignored her. Ash found it ridiculous that she ask so many questions while prodding and scraping his teeth.

The dentist finally came by and after a quick look in his mouth and at his x-rays, declared him in need of oral surgery. 

“Your wisdom teeth need to come out,” he said, frowning at the x-rays. “And you’ll probably want to see an orthodontist at some point to correct your alignment. I wouldn’t say you need it, but it’d improve your teeth cosmetically and fix some minor issues that could grow with time.”

“We’ll focus on the wisdom teeth for now,” Eiji answered for him, still rubbing his hand. “Where do you recommend we go for that?” 

“There’s an oral surgeon not twenty minutes from here by the Dunkin’ Donuts,” the dentist answered. “I know the people there, they do good work. I’m going to check and see when they can get you in for a consult, because those teeth will only continue to move in and the pain will get worse the longer they’re in. How’ve you been doing with pain?”

Ash swallowed thickly. “Ice and ibuprofen help.”

The dentist nodded. “Right. Keep using the ice and the ibuprofen until you can get them removed.”

Luckily, they were able to attend a consultation that very day and scheduled the surgery for the next day. Ash felt overwhelmed at how quickly this was being thrust upon him, but the dentist and Eiji alike pointed out that the teeth needed to come out as soon as possible and would only grow to be more painful. On the drive back from the consultation office, Eiji called Max to give him an update. 

“Hello Max, Ash is getting his wisdom teeth out tomorrow and I was wondering if you’d be willing to drive us to and from so I can focus on taking care of Ash,” Eiji asked politely. “I’m sorry this is so last minute.”

“No worries!” Max replied through the car’s speakerphone. “I’m free tomorrow so I’d be happy to help. Ah, I remember when I got my wisdom teeth out-”

“Oh shut up old man, we’re asking you to chauffeur not tell us a story,” Ash jeered harshly. His mind was racing in anticipation of the procedure, calculating the risks and all possible outcomes. There were dangers to being drugged up and unable to control what he says. If he blabs in the wrong presence, he could get himself or Eiji in serious trouble. 

“Ash is testy because he’s nervous, please excuse him,” Eiji sighed. “His appointment is at eight and they want us there fifteen minutes early, so could you get us around seven-thirty?”

“Sounds good,” Max neglected to respond to Ash’s earlier comment. “Can’t wait. See you boys tomorrow!”

“See you tomorrow Max, thank you!” Eiji ended the call and sighed. 

“I’m sorry,” Ash said after a second of silence. 

“You have nothing to be sorry for,” Eiji replied gently, taking his eyes briefly off the road to look kindly at Ash. “I know you’re scared, but I’ll be with you every step of the way, and you won’t feel any pain. I promise it’ll be fine.”

Ash felt his heart swell under his boyfriend’s caring gaze. “I love you,” He fondly rubbed Eiji’s knee, his cheeks red. 

“I love you too darling,” Eiji leaned in and gave Ash a brief kiss. “Now tell me where you want to have lunch.”

Eiji awoke at seven the next morning, twenty minutes before the alarm he’d set went off. Limbs still heavy with sleep, he turned to observe Ash’s sleeping form. His blonde hair was spread out behind him like a mane, shining under the thin rays of sun sneaking through the blinds. His breathing came easy and muscles were soft in relaxation. Eiji would sometimes deliberately wake early just to enjoy the peace of sleeping Ash.  
A fond smile still perking his lips, Eiji carefully got out of bed, got dressed, and enjoyed a quick peanut butter bagel. He automatically began fixing another one for his boyfriend before he remembered that Ash wasn’t supposed to eat or drink before the surgery.

One shower and change of clothes later, Eiji sat on their bed and watched the clock turn to 7:19. He took another look at Ash’s peaceful face and turned off the alarm function.

“Ash,” he cooed gently. “Ash honey, you’ve got to get up now. You’ve got a big day ahead of you.”

Ash groaned and buried his face deeper into the pillow, covers pulling tighter around his body. 

“Aslan, Max is going to pick us up in ten minutes, you need to get dressed dear,” Eiji gently rubbed Ash’s shoulder and pressed a kiss against the back of his neck. 

“Ugh, fine,” Ash squeezed his eyes shut one last time before hoisting himself up out of bed. He rubbed the sleep away before changing into a plain t-shirt and jeans. Eiji could see his nervousness clear as day. He was tense as he brushed his teeth and tense as he combed his hair. 

“Aslan darling,” Eiji took his boyfriend’s hand and gave it a loving kiss. “I’m right here for you, you have nothing to worry about.”

Ash sighed heavily and leaned his head down, resting on Eiji’s shoulder while their fingers wove together. Eiji felt Ash exhale shakily on his shoulder.

They stood there, enjoying the quiet and comfort from each other until Eiji’s phone dinged with a new text. Eiji kissed Ash’s cheek before breaking away to check his messages. 

“Max is here,” he said, looking up at Ash. “You ready?”

“Does it matter?” Ash shrugged, squeezing his wrist. 

“Oh sweetheart, it’ll be alright, no one’s going to hurt you and I’ll be there the whole time,” Eiji pushed Ash’s hair from his eyes. “You can do this. It’ll be over before you know it, okay?”

Ash nodded into Eiji’s gentle touch. “Let’s go.”

The nurse had called Ash back around a half-hour ago. Eiji and Max had been sitting in the waiting room the whole time, Max reading a magazine and Eiji bouncing his leg nervously while he literally watched the clock. Ash had looked so nervous when he’d been called in, Eiji walked with him as far as they’d allow. But they eventually had to separate, and Ash had been chewing his lip raw. 

“You couldn’t bounce that leg any faster if you tried,” Max teased, lowering his magazine. “Relax Eiji. Ash can handle himself.”

“I just hate how scared he looked,” Eiji admitted. “I hate making him do stuff after he lived how he did for so long.”

“You aren’t making him do anything Eiji, he’s undergoing a normal medical treatment that the vast majority of people go through,” Max replied. “He’s going to be fine and so are you.”  
Eiji nodded and stilled his leg for Max’s sake. 

“Mr. Okumura?” A nurse called, peeking around the corner into the waiting room. 

“Yes?” Eiji got to his feet a little too quickly. 

“Aslan’s all done,” she stepped out, Ash suspended between her and another nurse. His mouth hung open limply, blood crusted on his lips, and his eyes were heavy and lidded. His head was wrapped in a thick white band and his hair was mussed. 

Max helped Ash off the nurses’ arms and kept him standing. Eiji listened to the nurse give instructions on caring for Ash now that he was done with the surgery. Saltwater swishes and antibiotics to prevent infection, heavy painkillers, soft foods, no strenuous physical activity, and so on. 

Ash stared up at Max, squinting, with his nose curled up. “Who...who...who  _ are _ you?”

“I’m Max,” Max answered, still holding Ash up. 

“You... _ what _ ?” Ash squinted even more, leaning closer to Max for a better inspection.

“I’m your friend Max Lobo,” Max tried again. 

“Lob- what?” Ash spoke thickly with the gauze in his mouth. “But you’re...you’re old!”

“Thanks, I know.”

Eiji thanked the nurse again and hurried over to Ash. “Hi sweetie, how’re you feeling?”

Ash squinted hard at Eiji. “I feel...I feel... _ fantastic _ .”

“That’s good honey. Are you ready to go home?” Eiji took one of Ash’s arms over his shoulder, helping him stand. 

“ _ Home _ !” Ash cried incredulously. “No….I wanna, I wanna,  _ nooo… _ .”

“Too bad kid, we’re going home,” Max started to march to the door, forcing Eiji to follow his pace and lead Ash out to the car. Eiji got in the back with Ash and buckled him in. The whole time Ash stared at him with his lidded eyes, gentle groans and grunts streaming from his mouth. 

“We ready?” Max asked from the driver’s seat. “Do we want to stop somewhere for a smoothie or milkshake or go straight home?”

“Straight home please,” Eiji answered, buckling himself in. 

“You…” Ash’s head lolled to the side, looking directly at Eiji. “You...are  _ pretty… _ ”

Eiji flushed and held Ash’s hand. “Thank you, sweetie, that’s very nice.”

“He’s your boyfriend,” Max offered as he pulled out of the parking lot. 

“ _What_!” Ash’s eyes bulged forward obnoxiously and his voice warbled. “My...my _boyfriend…_? I’ve, I’ve got a _boyfriend_?”  
“Yes, you do honey,” Eiji nodded. 

Ash sat there for a minute, a loud, heavy exhale coming from his slack mouth as he looked at Eiji. His lidded gaze and the oppressing silence only made Eiji’s face redden.

“Hey Ash,” Max called from the front seat. “What year is it?”

Ash turned to look at Max, his eyes wide. Eiji could practically see his thoughts racing as he tried to conjure up an answer. 

“I’m sorry,” Ash was suddenly crying and his voice turned high and reedy. “I’m sorry I don’t know…” 

“That’s okay darling,” Eiji quickly kicked Max’s seat. “You don’t need to know.”

“I want…” Ash lowered his gaze as his tears abruptly vanished. “I’m...I’m hungry.”  
“Okay, what would you like? You can’t have anything tough or crunchy for a while,” Eiji asked.

“No tough or crunchy,  _ what _ ?” Ash’s whole face scrunched up in confusion. “What?”

“We’ve got yogurt and smoothies and ice cream at home, and Max can get us anything if we need it.”

“What?  _ How _ ?” Ash shifted to look out the window. “Ohhh my god...ohhhhh….”

“What is it, sweetie?” Eiji asked, leaning over to see what Ash could be looking at.

“Could you slow down?” Ash asked. The speedometer read 30 MPH. “You’re going...you’re going really fast.”

“Sorry buddy,” Max dropped down to 29 before immediately returning to 30. “Is that any better?” 

“What? No!” Ash began crying again. “No...you’re driving too fast...no….” 

“Max is just taking us home honey,” Eiji massaged his boyfriend’s shoulder. “It’s alright.”

“Wait, what?” the blonde jerked his head. “Where are we, where are we going?”

“We’re going home.”

“Wait, why are you, why are you here?” Ash gaped at him. “You need to, you need to go, my rocket ship is not safe for you.”

Max snorted.

“We’re not in a rocket ship Aslan, we’re in a car,” Eiji replied. 

“Eiji, Eiji you need to get out of my rocket,” Ash flung his hand lightly against Eiji’s chest. “It’s not, not safe for you here.”

“I’m fine Ash. We’ll be home soon okay?”  
“But I’m...I’m going to the moon,” Ash’s face scrunched and tears began to flow again. “I have to go the moon…”

“How about you go to the moon tomorrow sweetheart, how’s that?” Eiji suggested.

“Yeah...yeah...okay,” Ash swung his head around and looked down at his arm. His eyes bugged. “What’s...what is that?”  
“What? Your band-aid?”

“Why, why do I have a band-aid?” Ash lifted his arm closer to inspect the neon pink band-aid over the inside of his elbow.

“That’s where they put your IV in,” Eiji answered, lowering Ash’s arm back down to his lap.

“ _ IV _ ?” Ash nearly shrieked. “Why did I have an IV? Did I, did I get shot again?”

“No Aslan, you weren’t shot,” Eiji pursed his lips. “You just had some teeth removed is all.”

“They removed my  _ teeth _ ?” Ash exclaimed in disbelief. “Oh no... _ oh no _ ...I need those to eat! Wait, we need to go back, wait, I want my teeth back.”

“They took out teeth that were hurting you Ash, teeth you don’t need,” Eiji explained. “You can still eat.”

“Did they take my tongue too?” Ash asked, raising a hand to his mouth. “I can’t...feel my tongue…”

“Your mouth is numb right now darling, that’s why you can’t feel it. You still have your tongue.”  
“Do you...do you promise?”

Eiji’s heart twisted. Ash was completely loopy and out of it right now, and he still depended on Eiji for comfort. Nothing made Eiji feel useful and fulfilled like taking care of Ash did. Even if it was reassuring the boy that his tongue was still in his mouth.

“Yes Aslan, I promise.”

“We’re almost home,” Max said. 

“Oh yes,” Ash sighed and leaned his head back. “I can’t wait to be home. I wanna… wanna cuddle with my boyfriend.”  
“We’ll do that,” Eiji nodded. Ash startled, like he’d forgotten that Eiji was even there. 

“Wait, what?” Ash’s eyes crunched up in a squint Eiji was growing familiar with. “You’re here?”

“I am,” Eiji replied.

“That’s so great, I love you,” Ash gave a bleary, drugged smile. “I love you so much, you’re so wonderful. I love you.”  
“That’s so gross,” Max chortled.

“I love you too Aslan,” Eiji ignored Max’s comment, instead fondly caressing Ash’s hand. 

“Wait, wait, what is that?” Ash pointed out the window suddenly. Eiji followed his finger towards the sky.

“...The sun?” Eiji suggested. 

Ash sucked in a sharp breath. “Oh no...no...not the _sun_!”  
“What’s wrong with the sun?” Max asked as he turned onto their street. 

“It burns!” Ash declared. “Eiji, Eiji, get away from the sun, I don’t want it to burn you,” tears were budding in Ash’s eyes for the third time.

“I’m not going to get sunburned from inside the car honey, I’m fine, I appreciate the concern though,” Eiji smiled at Ash’s kindness, even drugged like he was.

“Hey Ash,” Max perked up one last time. “What’s the quadratic formula?”

“Quad- what?” Ash’s brows knitted in confusion. “It’s the...four…”  
Max’s shoulders shook with laughter. “F-four?”

“Leave him alone,” Eiji scolded gently. “Alright Ash, we’re going to have to walk again to go inside.”  
“I can’t walk!” Ash worried. “I don’t have any teeth!”  
Max parked the car and killed the engine. “You can walk just fine kid.”  
Eiji held Ash’s hand until Max opened the car door and helped him out, Eiji following close behind and supporting half of Ash’s weight. It was difficult to maneuver three people into a door intended for one, so Eiji ended up bumping his hip roughly against the door to get in. He hissed in pain.

Ash whipped around. “What’s wrong Eiji? What happened?”

“Nothing Aslan, let’s go up to the apartment now, okay?”  
But Ash paid him no mind. He marched up to the doorframe best he could, eyebrows furrowed together. “Hey!” He pointed a harsh finger at the metal doorframe. “Don’t hurt my Eiji! Don’t! He’s really nice and you shouldn’t hurt him like that! Stay away from my Eiji!”

“Ash, the door didn’t do anything to me, I’m fine. Let’s go home,” Eiji threw Ash’s arm across his shoulders to lead him to the elevator. 

“I’m sorry you got hurt,” Ash sniffled, tough demeanor replaced by a frail, crying boy. “I’ll protect you.”  
“Thank you Aslan. Let’s go lay down now, okay?” Eiji and Max helped Ash into the elevator, where Ash became fascinated by the mirror on the ceiling. 

“Thanks for helping today Max,” Eiji said while Ash was occupied. “I couldn’t have done it without you.”

“No problem, this is thanks enough,” Max nodded to the boy slung between them, the ex-gang leader and holder of an IQ over 200, counting the number of eyes he had. 

It was apparently more than two.

Twenty minutes and a solid hour nap later, Ash was back to normal. He complained mainly of the taste of blood and the ache in his jaw, but said he was fine otherwise. Eiji fixed him a strawberry banana smoothie and sat down with him to watch TV and, as was earlier requested, cuddle. Eiji was careful to avoid Ash’s jaw and mouth, massaging his shoulder and holding his smoothie when Ash would nod off randomly. 

During the commercial break, Ash pursed his lips and turned to meet his boyfriend’s eyes. “By the way, did I say anything weird or embarrassing when I was under the anesthesia? I don’t remember it at all.”

Eiji tilted his head, considering. “No, you were absolutely perfect.” He leaned over and kissed the top of Ash’s head.

Ash smiled contentedly and snuggled closer to Eiji as they absently watched the commercials flick past. 

Eiji rubbed Ash’s hand gently. “I wish you would’ve told me earlier that you wanted to go to the moon though.”


End file.
